Hostage's Bravery, Faith Rewarded

Atlanta Shootings Hero Gets $70K Reward; Book, Movie Deals Next?

(CBS)  Ashley Smith has been collecting accolades. Now, she's collected some cash, in the form of a $70,000 reward for her actions in the aftermath of this month's courthouse shootings in Atlanta.
CBS News Correspondent Jim Acosta reports it was a payday Smith never asked for.

But on Thursday, Smith got the reward for persuading accused gunman Brian Nichols, who held her hostage in her apartment for 13 hours, that it was time to stop the violence and surrender.

Nichols, who was on the lam for 26 hours, is accused of killing a judge and three others.

"We often hear of rewards being posted for information leading to the capture of a dangerous criminal," said Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue at the ceremony where Smith got the check. "But we hardly ever about those rewards being actually presented to someone who has earned it."

Smith's inspiring story riveted the nation, says Acosta.

The young single mother and widow, whose husband was murdered years ago, suddenly face-to-face with the alleged killer, who had eluded authorities.

She says she told Nichols about her struggles, forging the bond with the fugitive that led to his surrender.

"My life," Smith said at the ceremonoy, "is a testimony that God can use us even in the midst of tragedy, and miracles do happen."

Some of the checks came from the very law enforcement agencies that had stumbled in the manhunt for Nichols

If not for Nichols' chance encounter with Smith, authorities admit, there's no telling who he would have hurt next.

"We did expect a fight," Richard Meekham of the U.S. Marshal Service noted at the ceremony. "Either that, or a suicide. None of that occurred. We never counted on Ashley Smith. We never took that into consideration. But Ashley, with your calm demeanor and handling of the situation, with your cool-headed reasoning, you were able to overcome a very serious situation."

It's likely these aren't the last checks coming her way, Acosta points out. Now the knocks on her door are likely to be from representatives offering lucrative book and movie deals.

She says she'll use the money she just got to pay off loans, and she'll give some of it to her church.